OPEC+ set to keep planned oil output pause for March as prices jump, sources say

By Olesya Astakhova and Ahmad Ghaddar

Reuters

MOSCOW/LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - OPEC+ is likely to keep its planned pause on oil output increases for March when it ​meets later on Sunday, three OPEC+ delegates told Reuters, even after crude prices ‌hit six-month highs on concern the U.S. could launch a military strike on OPEC member Iran.

The meeting of eight ‌OPEC+ members comes as Brent crude closed near $70 a barrel on Friday, close to a six-month high of $71.89 reached on Thursday, despite speculation that a supply glut in 2026 would push prices down.

The eight producers - Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, ⁠Algeria and Oman - raised production ‌quotas by about 2.9 million barrels per day from April through December 2025, roughly 3% of global demand.

They then froze further planned increases ‍for January through March 2026 because of seasonally weaker consumption.

Sunday's meeting is due to start at 1330 GMT, two sources said. It is not expected to take any decisions for output policy beyond March, ​sources said on Friday.

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OPEC+ includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia ‌and other allies. The full OPEC+ pumps about half of the world's oil.

A separate OPEC+ panel called the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee is also scheduled to meet on Sunday, delegates said. The JMMC does not have decision-making authority on production policy.

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders ⁠to inspire protesters, multiple sources said on Thursday.

Washington has ​imposed extensive sanctions on Tehran to choke off ​its oil revenue, a crucial source of state funding.

Both the U.S. and Iran have since signalled willingness to engage in dialogue, but Tehran on ‍Friday said its defence ⁠capabilities should not be included in any talks.

Oil prices have also been supported by supply losses in Kazakhstan, where the oil sector has suffered a series of ⁠disruptions in recent months. Kazakhstan said on Wednesday it was restarting the huge Tengiz oilfield in stages.

(Reporting ‌by Olesya Astakhova in Moscow, Alex Lawler and Ahmad Ghaddar in London. Writing ‌by Alex Lawler, Editing by Alexander Smith)

OPEC+ set to keep planned oil output pause for March as prices jump, sources say

By Olesya Astakhova and Ahmad Ghaddar MOSCOW/LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - OPEC+ is likely to keep its planned pau...
Preparations underway for full reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing, officials say

By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi

JERUSALEM/CAIRO Feb 1 (Reuters) - Preparations to reopen Gaza's main border crossing in Rafah were underway on Sunday though it was uncertain any Palestinians would pass through it before the day's end, Israeli ​and Palestinian officials said.

Before the war, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt was the only direct exit point for most ‌Palestinians in Gaza to reach the outside world as well as a key entry point for aid into the territory. It has been largely shut since May ‌2024.

COGAT, the Israeli military unit that oversees humanitarian coordination, said the crossing will reopen in both directions for Gaza residents on foot only and its operation will be coordinated with Egypt and the European Union.

"As part of the pilot for the initial operation of the crossing, all involved parties are carrying out a series of preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing," COGAT said on Sunday.

"The ⁠actual passage of residents in both directions ‌will begin upon completion of these preparations," it added.

A European source close to the EU mission confirmed the details and a Palestinian official said the crossing was expected to open for passengers on Monday. The ‍Egyptian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

STRICT SECURITY CHECKS

Israel has said the crossing would open under stringent security checks only for Palestinians who wish to leave the war-ravaged enclave and for those who fled the fighting in the first months of the war to return.

Many ​of those expected to leave are sick and wounded Gazans in need of medical care abroad. The Palestinian health ministry has ‌said that there are 20,000 patients waiting to leave Gaza.

An Israeli defence official said that the crossing can hold between 150-200 people altogether in both directions. There will be more people leaving than returning because patients leave together with escorts, the official added.

Lists of Gazans set to pass through the crossing have been submitted by Egypt and approved by Israel, the official said.

Reopening the border crossing was a key requirement of the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Israel-Hamas war.

But the ceasefire, which came into ⁠effect in October after two years of fighting, has been repeatedly shaken by ​rounds of violence.

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 500 Palestinians since ​the ceasefire, local health officials say, and Palestinian militants have killed four Israeli troops, according to Israeli authorities.

On Saturday, Israel launched some of its most intense airstrikes since the ceasefire, killing at least 30 people, in ‍what it said was a response ⁠to a Hamas violation of the truce on Friday when militants emerged from a tunnel in Rafah.

The next phases of Trump's plan for Gaza foresee governance being handed to Palestinian technocrats, Hamas laying down its weapons and Israeli troops withdrawing ⁠from the territory while an international force keeps the peace and Gaza is rebuilt.

Hamas has so far rejected disarmament and Israel has repeatedly indicated that if the ‌Islamist militant group is not disarmed peacefully, it will use force to make it do so.

(Additional reporting by Alexander ‌Dziadosz in Cairo; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Christina Fincher)

Preparations underway for full reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing, officials say

By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO Feb 1 (Reuters) - Preparations to reopen Gaza's main ...
Tehran warns of regional conflict if US attacks Iran

DUBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that if the U.S. attacked Iran it would ​become a regional conflict, state media reported on Sunday, amid ‌heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The U.S. has built up its naval presence in ‌the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran with intervention if it did not agree to a nuclear deal or failed to stop killing protesters.

"(Trump) regularly says that he brought ships (...) The Iranian ⁠nation shall not be ‌scared by these things, the Iranian people will not be stirred by these threats," Khamenei said.

"We are not ‍the initiators and do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and harasses ​them."

A diplomatic solution remains on the cards, with Tehran saying it ‌is ready for "fair" negotiations that do not seek to curtail its defensive capabilities.

The U.S. Navy currently has six destroyers, one aircraft carrier, and three littoral combat ships in the region.

The protests, which started in late December over economic hardships but morphed into the most ⁠acute political challenge to the Islamic Republic ​since its establishment in 1979, have ​now abated after repression.

Official numbers put the unrest-related death toll at 3,117, while U.S.-based HRANA rights group said on ‍Sunday it had ⁠so far verified the death of 6,713 people. Reuters was unable to independently verify the numbers.

Khamenei likened the protests to a "coup", ⁠saying that the goal of the "sedition" was to attack the centres that govern ‌the country, state media reported.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing ‌by Alexander Smith and Jane Merriman)

Tehran warns of regional conflict if US attacks Iran

DUBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that if the U.S. attacked Iran it would ​b...
Zelenskiy says Ukraine getting ready for new peace talks next week

Jan 31 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine was waiting for more information from the United ​States about further peace talks and expected new meetings ‌to take place next week.

Reuters

Zelenskiy's statement during his nightly video address appeared to ‌suggest that a meeting scheduled for Sunday in the United Arab Emirates between representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States would not take place. The three sides held a round of talks ⁠a week ago.

"We are ‌in constant communication with the American side and are expecting specific details from them regarding further meetings," ‍Zelenskiy said.

"Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats. It is important that there be results and that the meetings take place. We ​are counting on meetings next week and are preparing for ‌them."

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U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff led a team of representatives in talks in Florida on Saturday with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and described the discussions as "productive and constructive."

The U.S. has been spearheading diplomatic efforts to end the war, launched nearly four years ago by ⁠the Kremlin's invasion of its smaller ​neighbour.

Witkoff has singled out the question ​of territory as the key to making progress in the negotiations, with Kyiv rejecting Moscow's demand that it ‍cede all of ⁠the Donbas region, including areas its army has not captured.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said this week that land ⁠was not the sole key issue under discussion but did not identify ‌other unresolved issues.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; editing ‌by Diane Craft, Rod Nickel)

Zelenskiy says Ukraine getting ready for new peace talks next week

Jan 31 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine was waiting for more information from the ...
From Elon Musk to the former Prince Andrew, a who's who of powerful men are named in Epstein files

NEW YORK (AP) — From tech titans to Wall Street power brokers and British royalty, a who's who of powerful men make appearances in the hugetrove of documentsreleased Friday by the Justice Department in connection with its investigations ofJeffrey Epstein.

Many have denied having close ties to the late financier, or at least having anything to do with his alleged sexual abuse of girls and young women that led to his arrest on sex trafficking charges.

None have been charged with a crime connected to the investigation. Epsteinkilled himself in a Manhattan jail cellin 2019. Yet some of them maintained friendships with Epstein, or developed them anew, even after he became known as a predator of young girls and registered sex offender.

Here's a primer on some of the notable names in the Epstein files:

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

The man formerly known as Britain'sPrince Andrewhas long been dogged by questions about his relationship with Epstein, including allegations from the lateVirginia Roberts Giuffrethat she was trafficked by Epstein and instructed to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17.

The former prince has repeatedly deniedthat it happened, but his brother, King Charles III, stillstripped him of his royal titleslate last year, including the right to be called a prince and the Duke of York.

Mountbatten-Windsor's name appears at least several hundred times in Friday's document release, including in Epstein's private emails.

Among the correspondence is aninvitation for Epsteinto dine at Buckingham Palace, Epstein's offer to introduce Mountbatten-Windsor to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman lying on the floor.

The billionaireTeslafounder turns up at least a few times in Friday's document release, notably in email exchanges in 2012 and 2013 in which he discussed visiting Epstein's infamous Caribbean island compound.

But it's not immediately clear if the island visits took place. Spokespersons for Musk's companies, Tesla and X, didn't respond to emails seeking comment Friday or Saturday.

Muskhas maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financier's overtures. "Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED," he posted on X in 2025.

Steven Tisch

The New York Giants co-owner is mentioned more than 400 times in the files released Friday. Correspondence between the two shows Epstein offered to connect Tisch to numerous women over the years.

In one 2013 email exchange with the subject line "Ukrainian girl," Epstein encouraged Tisch to contact a particular woman, whose physical beauty he praised in crude terms.

"Pro or civilian?" Tisch asked in reply.

Tisch, a scion of a powerful New York family that founded the Loews Corporation, has acknowledged knowing Epstein butdenied ever goingto his infamous Caribbean island.

"We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy and investments," said Tisch, who also won anAcademy Awardin 1994 for producing "Forrest Gump." "As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with."

Howard Lutnick

President Donald Trump's commerce secretary visited Epstein's private Caribbean island with his family on at least one occasion, records released Friday show.

That appears to contradict prior statements he's made claiming he cut ties with the disgraced financier, who he's called "gross," decades ago.

But emails show Lutnick and his wife accepted an invitation to Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands in December 2012 and planned to arrive by yacht with their children.

The former chairman of Newmark, a major commercial real estate firm, also had drinks on another occasion in 2011 with Epstein and corresponded with him about the construction of a building across the street from both of their homes.

The Commerce Department, in a statement, said Lutnick had "limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing."

Sergey Brin

The billionaire Google co-founder made plans to meet with Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell at his townhouse in New York years before he was publicly accused of sexually abusing underage girls, emails show.

In one exchange in 2003, Maxwell invited him to join her at a screening of the Renee Zellweger film "Down with Love" in New York.

She followed up a few weeks later to invite him to a "happily casual and relaxed" dinner at Epstein's house. Brin offered to bring along Google's then-CEO Eric Schmidt.

Spokespersons for Google didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

Steve Bannon

The one-time adviser to Trump exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with Epstein, some sent months before his 2019 arrest and jailhouse suicide.

The two discussed politics, travel and a documentary Bannon was said to be planning that would help salvage Epstein's reputation.

One 2018 exchange, for example, focused on Trump's threats at the time to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. In a 2019 message, Bannon asked Epstein if he could supply his plane to pick him up in Rome.

Bannon hasn't responded to emails seeking comment.

Miroslav Lajcak

A national security adviser to the Slovakian prime minister, Lajcak resigned Saturday after his past communications with Epstein appeared in Friday's document release.

Opposition parties and a nationalist partner in Fico's governing coalition had called for him to step down.

Lajcak, a former Slovak foreign minister and a onetime president of the U.N. General Assembly, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but was photographed meeting with Epstein in the years between his initial release from jail and his subsequent indictment in 2019 on sex trafficking charges.

He said his correspondence with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group Limited, invited Epstein to his private island in 2013, telling him in an email: "Any time you're in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!"

Besides discussing Epstein visiting Branson's Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands, the two exchanged messages about philanthropy, Epstein's ideas for a "disruptive" financial system and a "social good currency."

In one email, in 2011, Epstein said he offered Branson's staff the use of his helicopter to transport an accident victim in the Virgin Islands.

In a Sept. 11, 2013 correspondence, Branson suggested Epstein could boost his public image if he could get Bill Gates to say "you've been a brilliant adviser to him, that you slipped up many years ago by sleeping with a 17 1/2 year old woman and were punished for it, that you've more than learnt your lesson and have done nothing that's against the law since."

A Branson spokesperson told the British news outlet the Independent that Branson's "harem" comment referred to adult members of Epstein's staff.

Branson later decided to sever ties with Epstein, the spokesperson said, after learning more about the "serious allegations" that had been made against him.

"Had they had the full picture and information, there would have been no contact whatsoever," the spokesperson said.

Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this story.

From Elon Musk to the former Prince Andrew, a who’s who of powerful men are named in Epstein files

NEW YORK (AP) — From tech titans to Wall Street power brokers and British royalty, a who's who of powerful men make a...
UK's Starmer says ex-Prince Andrew should testify before Congress over Epstein ties

By Andrew MacAskill

Reuters

TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that the former Prince Andrew should testify before a U.S. congressional committee, following new ​revelations about Andrew's links to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

New files related ‌to Epstein published by the U.S. justice department on Friday included emails that showed King Charles's brother maintaining regular contact ‌with Epstein for more than two years after he was found guilty of child sex crimes.

The files also include pictures appearing to show Andrew crouching over and touching the waist of an unidentified woman lying on the floor. Her face was blacked out in the redacted images.

The king stripped his brother ⁠of his title of prince and ‌evicted him from his mansion in the grounds of Windsor Castle in November, in the wake of previous revelations about his links with Epstein.

ANDREW HAD ‍DENIED MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIP AFTER EPSTEIN'S CONVICTION

The former prince, 65, now uses the family name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and had previously denied maintaining ties with the financier after Epstein's 2008 conviction, ​apart from a 2010 visit to New York to end their relationship.

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He did not reply ‌to a Reuters request for comment on the latest revelations. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Starmer, speaking to reporters on the plane to Japan after a four-day visit to China, said the former prince should appear before U.S. lawmakers to explain everything he knows about Epstein to help his victims.

"Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked ⁠to do that," Starmer said. "You can't be victim centred ​if you're not prepared to do that."

In November, members of ​a U.S. congressional committee investigating the Epstein case intensified their calls for Andrew to answer questions.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while ‍awaiting trial on sex trafficking ⁠charges. He was jailed in 2008 for soliciting paid sex from a minor.

The files show Andrew maintained regular contact with Epstein after his conviction, including discussing potential business deals and ⁠social meetings.

In several emails, Epstein and Andrew discuss women that the financier proposes to put in touch with the ‌prince. In one email, Epstein offered to bring three women to Buckingham Palace.

(Reporting by ‌Andrew MacAskillEditing by James Davey and Peter Graff)

UK’s Starmer says ex-Prince Andrew should testify before Congress over Epstein ties

By Andrew MacAskill TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that the fo...
Russian figure skater Valieva competes 4 years on from doping case during Olympics

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva returned to competition on Saturday following her doping ban, making a statement with a quadruple jump nearly four years after disputes over her positive testovershadowedthe Beijing Olympics.

Associated Press Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva warms up before competing at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) Russian figure skater Alexandra Ignatova competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russia Valieva Figure Skating

The 19-year-old Valieva was skating in the quarterfinals of the Russian jumping championships in Moscow.

She started with a quadruple toeloop jump to cheers from the crowd and qualified for Sunday's semifinals, as well as placing sixth in a "duets" jump event. The nationally televised event wasn't a typical skating competition, with points only for jumps.

Valieva cannot qualify for the Milan Cortina Olympics, where another Russian skater,Adeliia Petrosian, is a contender for the women's gold medal as an Individual Neutral Athlete.

Then aged 15, Valieva was at the center of a legal battle during the 2022 Beijing Games when a sample she gave two months earlier tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.

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The revelation came after Valieva won team gold with other Russian skaters. She was later disqualified from that event, whichupgraded the United States to gold. Valieva was a contender for the women's gold medal but placed fourth and was criticized rink-side by her coach, Eteri Tutberidze.

Valieva eventually served a ban which expired in December, despitelong-running legal effortsto have it overturned, including at the Swiss supreme court last year.

Since the 2022 Olympics, rules have been changed toraise the minimum agefor skaters to 17 in time for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Also returning to action on Saturday was Alexandra Ignatova, who won the silver medal at the 2022 Olympics under her maiden name of Alexandra Trusova. She was competing for the first time since giving birth last year and didn't reach the semifinals.

AP Winter Olympics athttps://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Russian figure skater Valieva competes 4 years on from doping case during Olympics

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva returned to competition on Saturday following her doping ban, making a statement wit...

 

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